Blue Favors
by little red cardigan
Summary: Mother and son learn to let go of each other at different moments in their lives.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own PJO...sadly.

**Warning: **Contains **PERLIA**. Don't like, don't read, and don't flame.

**A/N: **I like Percy's relationship with his mother and this idea sort of popped in my head.

* * *

><p><strong>Blue Favors<br>**

Percy looked towards the sea, watching the gentle waves clash with the resounding wind.

He always came to the beach whenever he was in a good need of deep, pensive thinking. The water never ceased to calm him, no matter what mood he had arrived in. Sitting on the dry sand was just about as natural as laying down on the soft covers of his bed. His feet was stretched out in front of him, the cool waters delicately washing over to touch his toes, tickling them with a wetness that would drip down his foot and dry with the rest of the white sand.

His mother was getting married for the first time…and not to Paul Blow—_Blofis_.

Of all irony, she was finally getting married to her one true love. Poseidon. And as much as Percy was relatively happy that they were consummating their love, that meant that his mother would have to live immortally by the sea god's side, also meaning that Percy would see less and less of his mother. There was no way Percy was going with his parents to live under the sea. Of course, along with the consent to being ageless, Sally had demanded that Poseidon allowed their son to visit the ocean world at least once a day.

Percy was only sixteen, and he had been this close to living alone. With his mother gone, their apartment would have much more space that only he would think that it was empty. After all this time, he didn't want to be alone. He had asked Thalia to live with him in the apartment, and he was relieved when that she had accepted. Sally was okay with it, as long as they…behaved.

The water and wind collided again, and once Percy thought about it, the two opposing forces of nature reminded him of himself and Thalia.

He felt long, slender fingers brush against his dark hair, twining themselves in his roots. He closed his eyes, reveling in the tender touch. Leaning back against the slight body, he tilted his head up and opened his eyes.

The owner of the talented, pale fingers was wearing a navy blue dress that hugged her skinny assets, and flowed a couple inches above her knees. A white satin sash tied around her waist, the ribbons draping down the sides. Her long, ebony-colored hair was piled up into a vintage retro curled up-do—or that's what she told him— with a couple black curls framing her oval face. _Speak of the devil…_

He took her hand in his, placing his lips against her inner wrist. "Beautiful," he murmured against the milky white skin.

Rather than accepting the compliment, Thalia flicked Percy's nose. "Your mother's freaking out."

"Why?"

"Let me think," Thalia sarcastically responded. Sometimes, Percy really did have kelp for brains. "The bride-to-be is getting married in less than a half hour and her idiotic son is not there with her. Why is she freaking out, you ask? Hmm…"

Percy bit the urge to snort at her retelling. But he guessed his mother had a reason to be feeling that way. After all, who was going to walk her down the aisle?

When he stood up, he immediately went to brush the bits of sand that got caught on his tuxedo. Thalia helped by making sure his black suit was aligned straight, and she rolled her eyes at Percy's attempt at tying his tie. Her fingers latched around the blue bow tie and retied it for him.

You could see that blue was a major theme here.

After tying his bow tie, Thalia placed a blue delphinium flower in his front pocket, letting it hang there gracefully. Her hands trailed up his chest and onto his neck, where she let them rest there. For what seemed like an eternity, she stood there, gazing into his seawater eyes, the same hue that matched the colors of the heart of the ocean.

"Beautiful," she returned the compliment.

Percy leaned in, their foreheads touching. "Not as much as you."

"I doubt that."

He grinned mischievously, grabbing her by the waist so suddenly, and crashing his lips onto hers.

After a little make-out session that wasn't supposed to last _that_ long, Percy wore a smug and satisfied smile as he made his way to the small tent that rested along the beach. His parents decided to get married on the beach, since the ocean played a pivotal part in their lives. However, he stopped in his tracks the moment he entered through the flaps.

For months, he knew that his mother was getting married. He's been there throughout the wedding decorations, the choice of catering, the cake choosing, and any other pre-martial stuff. Perhaps that information didn't quite get through that insanely thick head of his. The fact that his mother was actually _getting married_ dawned to him when he saw Sally Jackson in her white wedding dress.

The white material clung to his mother's skin, making her even more attractive for her age that she already was. There was a tiny train that trailed behind her. A simple, blue ribbon caught around her waist, complimenting herself and the dress, completed with blue embellishes here and there. Dainty, satin gloves covered her small arms and elbows. Her brown hair, with a couple of gray streaks in it, was bound in an elegant French twist atop her head, with the veil already in place.

"Percy!" Sally turned around, rushing to her son in that dress. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere! Do you not realize what's happening in the next ten minutes? Oh, gods…" And then she started to ramble because she was nervous, but Percy didn't pay attention.

"Mom," Percy's throat was abruptly dry. "You look…perfect."

Sally blushed, a happy smile on her lips. "Thank you, Percy."

After today, she wouldn't only be his mother anymore. She would be Poseidon's wife.

He never thought he would be the one letting go of his mother. Percy had always thought it would be the other way around, with his mother letting go of him. He never thought it would be the other way around. He wondered idly when the tables had turned on him.

"So, you're serious about this?" Percy asked, practically wincing as he croaked.

"Yes." Sally said without a doubt. At the pensive look on her son's face, her gaze softened. "I let him go once, Perce. I don't plan on doing the same thing twice."

Percy was satisfied with that answer.

The gentle music started, overlapping with the soft sound of waves crushing against the tide.

Rows of satin-draped chairs lined up across the sandy beach, already occupied by many guests. The wedding of one of the Olympians, especially a Big Three, was obviously a big event. Dainty blue ribbons tied along the chairs. A white aisle, lined up with seashells was in between the sections of the chairs, and the white had an image camouflaged as a small river. The runway was designed to look as though Sally was truly walking on water.

The aisle led up to a bowery canopy, with white garlands and streamers hanging down. The canopy was embellished only with white and blue blossoms. Zeus stood at the center, preparing to administer the ceremony, and Poseidon looked dashing in his suit. They truly looked like gods in this form. Rather than feeling nervous, Poseidon's nerves were as calm as the waves that washed up behind him.

All the bridesmaids were making their way down the aisle; the first two were Sally's good friends, while the third girl that walked down was Annabeth, looking pretty as ever in her dress.

But the fourth and final bridesmaid was the one Percy had a hard time taking his eyes off. He knew he's seen Thalia earlier, but she still managed to take his breath away the second time that day. She walked with elegance and grace, giving her pride to her surname, and before she stood on the side with the rest of the bridesmaids, she gave Zeus and Poseidon each a kiss on their cheek.

"Ready?" Percy turned to his mother.

Sally placed her gloved hand on his elbow. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Percy realized walking down that horrendously long aisle wasn't so bad. Having more than a thousand pairs of eyes (there was literally that many people) stare at you didn't hit him until midway. By then, he couldn't turn back, so he kept going for his mother. Poseidon's ecstatic expression encouraged him, Thalia's bright smile encouraged him, and the happy tears in Sally's eyes encouraged him the most.

And then he was at the front of his aisle, standing right in front of everyone.

"Who gives this woman away?" Zeus asked, as part of the session.

"I do," Percy responded.

This was it.

He cradled his mother's hand delicately in his grip, and with his other hand, he took Poseidon's.

"Do me a favor," Percy told his father urgently. "No, make me a promise," he corrected. "You swear on the River Styx that you will always love my mom no matter what. You will never leave her and you will always be there beside her when she needs you. Promise to be there for her when you weren't there for me when I needed you."

Sally sighed with a teary smile, completely okay with Percy's favor for her husband-to-be.

Poseidon realized that he was not talking to a sixteen year old boy. He was talking to a man. "I swear on the River Styx," he reassured with a promise that he intended to keep.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're happy?"<p>

"_Yes_, for the last time, I am."

"It's not too late to back out," Percy pointed out.

Sally laughed, her gloved hand touching her son's strong cheekbone. "I don't regret anything, Percy."

Percy spun her away and twirled her back into his hold. While dancing with his mother, he realized how incredibly small she was. He remembered when she was the one that always towered over him. And now, the roles were switched and Percy had to crane his neck down to look his mother directly in the eye.

The reception was hosted at one of the biggest hotel ballrooms in Manhattan, New York. Poseidon wouldn't accept a lesser way to celebrate this day, and he would be superfluous about it if he wanted to. The decorations helped the place look majestic; its primary colors were only white and various shades of blue. Even the cake was blue. The presents were blue too. The guests had to wear some shade of blue on their outfit, or they weren't allowed in.

"May I cut in?"

He smiled at the intruder. "Sure thing, Dad. She is yours, after all."

In that moment, Percy realized the moment he finally let go of his mother was when he placed her hand in Poseidon's.

Sally laughed once more, twirling into the arms of her new husband. As they danced, Percy was sure he had never seen either of his parents this happy. That was enough to make Percy happy too.

He found Thalia dancing with her father on the floor. Honestly, Percy didn't think that Zeus would stay after the ceremony, but here he still was. Even though the big day belonged to Poseidon and Sally, there was a certain spotlight that remained rooted on Zeus and his daughter. It was a light that simply demanded attention. This was the gods of all gods and goddesses we were talking about here.

"Jackson," Zeus muttered when Percy neared them, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Come to steal my daughter away already?"

"Dad," Thalia rolled her eyes. However, she reserved a light sparkle in those blue hues exactly for Percy.

"Fine," the god grumbled. "I'll just go see if that that lovely woman over there wants to dance," he nodded over at the middle-aged brunette at one of the tables. He narrowed his eyes at Percy, "No funny business, Jackson."

"Yes, sir," Percy responded at the same moment Thalia promptly pushed her father away.

"Sorry about that."

Percy shrugged, not thinking it as much as a big deal. He felt right at home when her body was pressed against his, her willowy arms going around his neck as his arms wound around her waist. "He's just looking out for you," he mused, rubbing his cheek against the crown of her head.

"After so many years of neglect," Thalia added, chin leaning up to rest against his shoulder. Her eyes lifted to the bright lights overhead. "Such a nice wedding."

"Hmm."

She couldn't help but grin at his lack response. "Do you think you'd have a wedding like this?"

Percy's pulled his head away, looking down at her as if she had made a crucial mistake. "Don't you mean if _we'd_ have a wedding like this?" his eyes furrowed in contemplation.

"Well…" There was a slight hesitation.

"As cheesy as it sounds, I couldn't imagine marrying anyone else but you," Percy told her firmly. He was indicating that from now one, it would always be _we_ instead of _you_ or _him _or_ her_, or any other single noun.

And for the first time, Percy told her he loved her.

Little did he know that he would the next suit on his own wedding day.

* * *

><p>Sally's seen this image before.<p>

She hadn't realized that nearly six years have passed. The time in the ocean passes by so quickly. She recognized the blue touches in each of the guests' attire— the blue being the permittance in allowing the guests to attend the wedding. Like his father, Percy had an obsession with blue as well. The wedding wasn't exactly like Sally and Poseidon's beach wedding, but it was in a place that was just as beautiful.

A clear, earthy garden, with the blue promising sky that symbolized Zeus' blessing, and the quiet pond in the patch of grass that incorporated Poseidon.

Percy was rambling to her as he stood in front of all the seated guests. Sally watched in amusement that he was not as calm and collected as Poseidon had been, but rather nervous as Sally felt on her wedding day. It was a special trait the Jacksons held, the whole babbling when the nerves got the better of you. Poseidon stood off to the side, quietly chuckling with Grover, Percy's best man.

"Mom, what if she doesn't come?" he asked her quickly. "What if she gets cold feet or if she gets scared and she leaves me here? What am I supposed to do? I mean, why would she even want to marry me anyway? I still don't know why she said yes when I asked her—"

"Percy, honey," Sally gripped his shoulders with a gentle squeeze. She shook him to get him to stop talking. "This is Thalia we're talking about. There is no absolute way she would get cold feet," she reassured him. "And you ask why she would want to marry you? Percy, you're the bravest, handsomest, wonderful son I've had—"

"I'm the _only_ son you've ever had."

"—and you will make a wonderful husband," Sally ignored his other statement. "After everything you two have been through, you deserve Thalia and she deserves you. She's lucky to have someone like you to love her for the rest of her life."

It's all too quiet. Sally wonders if she lost him somewhere in her speech.

And then, Percy smiled brilliantly. "Thanks, mom."

She starts to remember the time when Percy had been young and innocent. Sally remembered waking up every morning to Percy jumping excitedly on her bed and her day would instantly brighten when he pecked her on the cheek. As he grew up, they would only grow closer because they were all they had of each other.

Then Percy is made known of the prophecy and in realization of who his father really was. His teenage life had been torn from saving the world and battling monsters for his life. But the war did nothing to taint who he really was. Percy remained the same Percy throughout, to which Sally had been relieved, glad, and proud all at the same time. Percy was the best thing she could have ever asked for in her life.

The gentle music starts, signaling every guest to stand up to greet the bride. At that moment, when Sally was sure Percy had been fine, her son started to show signs of physical illness. Her hand lifted to her mouth, covering the laugh that was so willing to escape.

There Thalia was, walking down in all her beauty. But then, the imposing Zeus was right next to her.

But ignoring the glares he was receiving from Zeus, Percy had only eyes for Thalia. It seemed the moment she got nearer and nearer to him, Percy's glow came back to him. When he smiled, it was the happiest Sally had ever seen on him. Nothing else in the world mattered besides these two. Everything would revolve around them.

Sally placed a hand on their interlocked fingers, grabbing their attention. "Do me a favor—no, make me a promise," she said, and while Thalia looked with attentiveness, Percy grinned knowingly. "Take care of each other. Love each other."

"I have been for the past six years, ever since I started living with your son," Thalia responded wryly earning a chuckle from Sally, although there was an indefinite promise in her electric blue eyes.

Percy laughed before turning to his mother. "I'll always take care of her," he said to Sally, but he looked at Thalia.

In that moment, Sally Jackson truly let go of her son.

_Fin._


End file.
